Three Ways Recruiters Can Create A Great Hiring Manager Experience
While recruiters and hiring managers tend to agree that there aren’t enough great candidates to go around, they don’t always see eye to eye on why.
“You only sent five resumes when I needed ten. Your guy literally didn’t show up,” shouts the hiring manager.
“No one on Earth fits that list of qualifications. You took two weeks to schedule an interview,” the recruiter fires back.
Undoubtedly, the situation doesn’t have to be quite so dramatic. If the idea is to place the best candidate when needed, a recruiter’s job will go much more smoothly when they make the hiring manager’s job easier. In other words, pay some much-needed attention to the hiring manager experience.
In brief, hiring managers are the gatekeepers of recruiters’ success. Ultimately, the information hiring managers provide, the timeliness of their interview, the feedback they offer, and the decision they make will determine the recruiter’s time to fill.
There’s just one problem. Hiring managers aren’t talent acquisition professionals. They might be the best head of marketing, charge nurse, or information systems manager you’ve ever met, but recruiting is not likely second nature to them.
So how do you get hiring managers engaged in helping to identify and close the best candidates? How do you give them the tools they need to get the job done?
Scout Exchange is a talent acquisition platform that uses AI to connect thousands of specialty recruiters to the employers they’re best suited to help. With thousands of recruiters and more than 800 employers in a marketplace, we have a unique, data-driven view of what works and what doesn’t.
Here are three actions you can take today to help to create a better hiring manager experience.
1. Communicate exactly what’s needed and why.
You can make a hiring manager’s job easier by being clear about what’s required to deliver successful candidates. We’ve analyzed data from hundreds of thousands of placements across dozens of industries to understand the elements that best predict a successful placement.
Thorough information
Recruiters know not all posts are created equal, not even close. For example, they must include the following: locations, accurate job descriptions, visa information, expectations, as well as clarity on corporate culture. These are just a few of the things recruiters need to find rock star candidates. Keep in mind; a hiring manager won’t know that unless you tell them.
Timeliness of response
Be clear about what you need at the intake. If the hiring manager is looking for a difficult-to-find candidate, they won’t have the luxury of reflecting on the submission for a week. And if they aren’t thrilled about a candidate, the recruiter will be much more efficient if they know that right away.
Feedback
Undeniably, this is the main frustration we hear from recruiters: “Why didn’t that top-shelf candidate get an interview? What happened that the last interviewee didn’t get an offer?”
The only way recruiters can recalibrate is to get feedback from hiring managers.
When top search firm recruiters work with employers who deliver on information, timeliness, and feedback, our data shows that they’ll see the following. 45% more submissions. 127% more hires per search firm recruiter. Plus, an increase in the initial screening acceptance rate by 40% over an average partnership.
2. Treat it as a partnership.
Great recruiters are in a unique position to act as advisors. Recruiters know the nuances of the hiring manager’s industry and the opening they are looking to fill. What market data do you, as the recruiter, have that the hiring manager might not?
The recruiters in the Scout marketplace tell us one of the critical points that interest a hiring manager. In short, they want to know what to offer to make the opening more attractive.
Are the qualifications unrealistic for the position? Does the pay stack up in the location? Are the corporate culture and expectations known?
Hiring managers also want to know how competitive the market is at that moment in time. This is first-hand knowledge recruiters can bring to the table when advising the hiring manager. As a result, hiring managers can better manage their expectations to end in hiring success.
3. Own the process.
Understand where hiring managers are coming from. They’re short-staffed, and finding this candidate isn’t their only job. Recruiters can help by being clear about the process required to get the information, feedback, and timeliness that you need to succeed on their behalf.
Articulate the deliverables on both sides. Set up a regular check-in call. Better yet, make it short. If you only put it on the calendar for 15 minutes, you can bet it will start and end on time.
Block off time for interviews so you can schedule without extra steps. Or encourage the hiring manager to schedule directly, if that is what makes them most comfortable.
Hiring managers need the information, tools, and support to guide them through a process that isn’t always in their comfort zone. The good news is, great recruiters are more than ready to provide the experience and insight that hiring managers need to get the job done. And yes, the data backs us up on that.
If you want to know more about improving the hiring manager experience, check out this recent webcast with Scout CRO and GM Jim McCoy and talent acquisition expert and author Tim Sackett.
